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Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Jay Lynch claims Arsenal’s superstars didn’t take defeat well after their shock Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of the League Two side.
In one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history, Fleetwood beat the Premier League champions 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury.
The team 18th in League Two got the better of an Arsenal side that featured the likes of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.
Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench and it was the summer signing from Newcastle who came up short from the spot, seeing his effort saved by Lynch.
Conor Haughey then had the task of scoring the final penalty, which he completed and Fleetwood secured their place in the next round.
There were wild scenes of celebration after the final penalty, which Lynch accepts made it difficult to interact with the Arsenal players, but he still feels the superstars of the Emirates did not take defeat well.
‘It’s obviously such a huge moment for us and all the fans ran on, no one actually got chance to speak to them,’ Lynch told talkSPORT.
‘I think the gaffer spoke to their gaffer briefly, but because of all the fans we didn’t actually get a chance to ask for shirts or even speak to them or anything, to be honest. They didn’t take it well, let’s put it that way.’
Arsenal’s teenage sensation Max Dowman was sent off on 85 minutes, shown a straight red for retaliating after a heavy challenge from Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal.
Lynch insisted Neal’s tackle was a fair one and physicality was all part of their plan to unsettle the Premier League outfit.
RED CARD for Max Dowman! 🟥 pic.twitter.com/wq4EvRIScm
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 27, 2026
The weather could not be part of the plan, but the grim conditions were a bonus for the underdogs.
‘You’ve seen it with the Max Dowman tackle, the sending off. That’s what we’re about, that’s what League Two is about, winning your duels,’ said Lynch. ‘But fairly. I think it was a fair tackle.
‘We’ve had a storm at the minute, with the weather. We actually wanted it as bad as possible. I remember driving to the stadium, the sun’s shining, we’re thinking, oh no this suits them. Then the wind comes and we’re thinking alright, game on.’